A prominent Welsh-born cleric has once more found himself at the centre of a war of words in the Church of England.

A prominent Welsh-born cleric has once more found himself at the centre of a war of words in the Church of England.

Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, England, has landed at the centre of a debate about the Church’s new rules allowing gay clerics to become bishops.

Gay clerics were previously unable to take up a post as bishop, and Dr Jeffrey John had previously been put forward for the position twice, but removed himself from the running due to his being in a civil partnership with the Rev Grant Holmes.

Since the announcement that gay clerics are now able to take up posts as bishops, on the condition they remain sexually abstinent, a fellow Welsh clergyman has called for John to be made a bishop in Wales.

The Rev Martin Reynolds, a leading gay rights campaigner based in Newport, said that his friend Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, has been made a “whipping boy” in the row.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, for which the Rev Martin Reynolds is Director of Communications, said although it was a step forward, gay bishops should not have to be celibate.

Mr Reynolds also said it would be great if Dr John, the most senior openly gay Church of England cleric, could now return to Wales and become a Welsh bishop.

He was reportedly forced to withdraw his acceptance of the post of bishop of Reading in 2003 after protests from traditionalists.

It has also been claimed that he was blocked from being appointed as bishop of Southwark in 2010.

Dr John entered a civil partnership in 2006 with the Rev Grant Holmes, but is understood to live a celibate life.

Unlike the Church of England, the Church in Wales has never had a ban on gay clergy in civil partnerships becoming bishops.

Mr Reynolds told BBC Radio Wales: “The reason this moratorium was introduced was because Jeffrey was just about to become the bishop of Southwark.

“And because Jeffrey was about to become the bishop of Southwark and Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury didn’t want another furore... they shafted Jeffrey yet again and introduced this rule that you couldn’t be in a civil partnership, which of course Jeffrey is with Grant.

“Poor old Jeffrey’s been more than just a whipping boy, he’s been assassinated several times.”

Mr Reynolds was asked whether there was now any realistic chance of his friend becoming a bishop in the Church in England, Mr Reynolds replied: “Wouldn’t it be nice if he became a bishop in the Church in Wales?”

He added that gay clergy in civil partnerships in Wales are not asked “if we do anything naughty in bed”.

Asked about the question of policing the celibacy of gay clerics, Mr Reynolds said he believed honour still exists in the church.

“When Jeffrey said he and Grant weren’t actually sleeping together any more I think we all believed him,” he told BBC Radio Wales.

“I don’t think there was a single person that I ever spoke to, said Jeffrey wasn’t telling the truth.”

Mr Reynolds also praised the Church in Wales’s approach on the celibacy issue.

“In Wales we’ve never bothered, we’ve never tried,” he said.

“Our bishop has never introduced any such a role and, of course, we know that the Archbishop of Wales has said if there was a gay man who was in a relationship who was nominated, he’d be happy to ordain him.”

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